Everything You Need To Know About Throwing A Small Wedding in 2020

2020 has been a whirlwind of a year! From face masks becoming a wardrobe staple, to not leaving the house without hand sanitizer in your purse, and curbside pickup is your new idea of date night (not mad about that one), we are all adjusting to this new normal. One major (and understandably stressful) change might be the dream wedding you’ve been pinning since middle school is looking drastically different thanks to government mandates and social distancing. While these mandates may be necessary to prevent wedding guests and couples from spreading COVID-19, it is no secret that we are reimagining what weddings will look like for the foreseeable future.  The future of the wedding industry is currently looking like a whole lot of small weddings, or as we like to call them: micro weddings.

A micro wedding is an intimate affair, typically with no more than 50 guests. They still feature time-honored traditions that make a wedding but on a much smaller scale.

We’re here to offer an overview of everything you need to know to make this intimate celebration as memorable as that 300 person bash.

What’s the difference between an elopement and a micro wedding?

An elopement usually has less than 10 guests. It’s a more last-minute, under-the-radar celebration.

A micro wedding is an in-person wedding with up to 50 guests who are almost entirely made up of your nearest and dearest. For this intimate affair, you probably won’t invite your mother-in-law’s cousin or your colleagues from work. Plan a micro wedding just as you would a traditional wedding, but with fewer people invited.

How do I plan a small wedding?

1. Use your wedding website to inform and update your guests on any changes or social distancing requirements.

2. Skip the self-serve buffet and opt for plated service. Serve Hors d’oeuvre pre-plated with a mix of everything. Guests can stroll around with a plate of appetizers and get as close to—or stay as distanced from—other guests as they feel comfortable.

3. Find an outdoor small wedding venue or backyard.

4. Go all out on your decor. Just because it’s a smaller celebration doesn’t mean you can’t have beautiful, impactful decor. In fact, not having to spend your budget on a large number of people may leave you with more wiggle room to splurge on decor and small wedding rentals. Think above and beyond florals, tableware, scaling up your linens, arches, photo walls, Airstream photo booth, candles, and everything else you’ve dreamed of!

5. Skip the dance floor and instead opt for some yard games. Depending on you and your guests’ comfort level, some couples are choosing to forgo a dance floor. Allow your guests to mingle and have fun in smaller, socially distanced groups with yard games. Ask us about adding our cornhole sets and giant Jenga to your wedding rentals! If your heart is set on a dance party, think of upgrading to a larger dance floor to accommodate for a more socially distanced get down.

How do I make a small wedding special?

1. Quality time with guests. While cutting down your guest list might be one of the hardest parts of throwing a micro wedding, fewer guests will offer more intimacy. You’ll be able to connect with each guest on the day of and more time to soak up your day. Not feeling the pressure to talk to 200 people in 3 hours will leave you feeling much less overwhelmed. While eliminating loved ones will be a challenging task, remember that these are unprecedented times and your guests will understand.

2. Hire a photographer and videographer to capture the day so you can share with friends and family that didn’t make the guest list. You can even consider offering a live stream for those who couldn’t be with you in person to celebrate.

3. Spend some of the budget you were going to spend on that 300 person party to make every detail special like ordering custom face masks for your guests with your wedding monogram on them, getting the neon sign you’ve always wanted, and upgrading your chairs from wood folding chairs to wood cross back chairs.

Small wedding venues

Lucky for us, Arizona offers an extra-long wedding season and lots of options for outdoor venues making it a very popular and desirable wedding location! Check out our list of venues we work with often, all with an outdoor ceremony and reception options. Open-air receptions seem to be the safest and most realistic option during the current state of the pandemic.  Another great outdoor option is hosting your intimate wedding in a backyard whether that be yours, your parent’s/in-law’s, a friend, or even an AirBnb or vacation rental. At The Event Co, we specialize in turning backyards into dream wedding venues. We work with each couple to transform their backyard with our custom lighting setups, beautiful tables and chairs, high-quality linens, dance floors, DJ service, arches and accent walls. We also offer temperature control rentals, no matter what the season, with state of the art heaters for chilly desert nights and portable evaporative coolers for record-breaking Summer temps. Check out our small wedding rental inventory and the different packages we offer for more information on backyard weddings.

To end

If you plan on saying “I do” during the era of social distancing, we encourage you to consider a micro-wedding. It’s a great way to keep guests safe and comfortable while still meeting the goal of a wedding – to celebrate you as a couple with your loved ones and family. At The Event Co, we are here to help you in any way needed! We are happy to be your one-stop-shop for wedding rentals and can refer you to our best and most trusted vendors! Our new micro wedding package is the easiest way to plan (or replan) your wedding. The package offers a simple and less stressful planning experience. By following current government mandates and planning a smaller, more intimate wedding, you can feel confident in planning full steam ahead and enjoy the process.